The effect of marriage type (polygamy vs. monogamy) on reproductive decisions is investigated using comparative data from the 1988, 1989, and 1993 Demographic and Health Surveys of Ghana and Kenya. Multivariate analysis is used. Inconclusive results are discussed with a focus on future research directions. (Author/EMK)

Argues for more research into school violence to examine whether recent horrific events mask deeper problems or represent rare exceptions and what educators know about adopting and sharing school security practices. Reports on a postal school survey of English schools seeking to quantify the problem, discusses respondents' concerns, and considers…

Introduces a study of sexual behavior problems in sexually abused boys and girls, aged 3-7 years. Stresses the importance of considering the issue of the child's own sexual feelings and arousal. Such studies are seen as providing practitioners with pointers to the most at-risk children. Also urges more research concerning interventions for sexual…

Defines a two-stage process by which a holistic rubric is applied to the assessment of open-ended items, such as writing samples. Indicates that the use of rating augmentation can improve the inter-rater reliability of holistic assessments, as indicated by generalizability phi coefficients, correlation coefficients, and percent agreement indices.…

Provides an update on, and preliminary research agenda for, best evidence medical education (BEME). Describes the Campbell Collaboration and the Cochrane Collaboration's Effective Practice and Organization of Care review group. Provides, based on discussion by the Society of Directors of Research in Medical Education, a list of topics and…

Proposes a research agenda to investigate the educational impact for medical students of the hospitalist model, suggests strategies to mitigate the limitations in students' exposures to subspecialty faculty, and recommends professional development in teaching for hospitalists to ensure that student education thrives in this new environment of…

Considers the challenges that unattended, or latchkey, children create in public libraries. Discusses demographics and factors that have led to the increase in unattended children; typical library responses; opportunities for service to this group; elements of successful programs; future trends; and further research needs. (Contains 50…

Argues that psychology has underinvestigated the study of creativity, provides six reasons for this neglect, and describes recent work on creativity that is leading to wider interest in the topic. Confluence theories, representing various multidisciplinary approaches to creativity, are proposed as offering a more promising approach to the study of…

Presents findings from an exploratory, empirical investigation of perceptions of Internet catalog shopping compared to more traditional print catalog shopping. Two factors that might influence perceptions, personality, and important other people are examined, and directions for further research are suggested. (Author/LRW)

The U.S. Department of Education is sponsoring the first national special-education expenditure study in nearly 15 years. A nationally representative sample including all states and 250 school districts will provide comprehensive and comparable data. Nine states will provide additional representative data to get a handle on their expenses. (MLH)

Educational administration researchers are currently organized in two ways. They are focused on common topics that change fairly quickly and are coordinating their work both formally and informally. Most frequently published topics include teaching, learning, and testing and professional preparation and certification. Organization around critical…

Examined two different methods of creating overviews of Web sites and gauged their effectiveness at performing known-item searches. Discusses results of a usability study with 30 university students, which compared conventional sitemaps to InXight's Site Lens hyperbolic tree tool, and suggests future work. (Contains 17 references.) (Author/LRW)

Synthesizes information from a 1995 international symposium on longitudinal research in learning disabilities. Discussion of generic considerations of longitudinal research is followed by examination of issues specific to learning disabilities including definition, attrition, composition of research teams, ethical concerns, data collection, and…

Examines the dominant strand in comparative education research, hegemony or power-knowledge relations, and considers its limitations amid the growing salience of "globalization." Calls for the building of a democratic, pluralist, non-ethnocentric, and multilingual field of comparative education that enables new kinds of judgments about…

Shows that motivation research is generally compatible with and supportive of the whole language philosophy of instruction. Provides explicit motivational reasons why whole language practices might be effective. Suggests whole language classrooms provide settings where motivation researchers can investigate the success of motivation principles,…